1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to devices for indicating the location of radioactive objects, and more particularly to a hand-held and automated wound probe with a laser guide to pinpoint radioactive objects in a body.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well known that ionizing radiation can be detected by Geiger Mueller Tubes (GMT) and other detectors. These devices are routinely used in medicine to detect radiopharmaceuticals injected in patients to locate abnormalities such as organ damage or cancer. Radiation detectors are also used in science and industry to identify and measure sources of radiation. Most radiation detectors are omni-directional and indicate radiation intensity and distance from a source by the detector's signal strength. The user must approach and wave the probe near the source to identify the general location.
An area of increasing concern is the detection and removal of high activity and high specific activity (HASA) radiation sources, such as radioactive shrapnel, embedded in a victim through accidental or intentional means. These HASA sources represent an acute exposure risk to the victim, emergency responders and medical personnel due to high levels of gamma radiation emitted. If not removed quickly, the victim may receive a debilitating or fatal dose of radiation in a relatively short amount of time. In some cases, the HASA source material may be very small or radiographic transparent to X-rays and other conventional shrapnel detection methods. Further, the level of radiation emitted from a HASA source would register off the scale and potentially damage radiation detection/imaging equipment available in a medical facility, rendering them ineffective for pinpointing the source.
Emergency responders and medical personnel are at risk of overexposure to radiation when in close proximity to victims with embedded HASA sources. In some radiological emergency situations, it would be appropriate to identify victims with HASA sources and separate them from other patients and medical personnel. It would be preferable if emergency responders and medical personnel could pinpoint HASA sources from a distance to manage exposure risk.
In an emergency surgical situation, a surgeon would need to find and remove the HASA source quickly. Without a quick and efficient method to pinpoint HASA sources, a victim would be subject to excess tissue debridement, trauma or amputation to ensure immediate removal of radioactive shrapnel from the body.
What is needed is a radiation probe to accurately detect and pinpoint a HASA radiation source embedded in a victim. A probe that is portable and would pinpoint a HASA radiation source from a relatively safe distance is preferable.